Chicago election officials said late Tuesday afternoon that the number of ballots cast in the city election continues to be low, but they hope a pickup in the final two hours might keep the city from experiencing record low voter turnout.

That dubious mark was reached in the 2007 municipal election when only 33 percent of voters cast a ballot in what turned out to be then-Mayor Richard M. Daley's last run. Four years ago, turnout was 42 percent for the open-seat contest following Daley's retirement.

“We don’t expect to reach that 42 percent or anywhere near it,” said Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen. “For whatever reason, voter interest is not strong. Voter interest is what drives turnout, not weather, not sunshine. We’re hoping for a little better evening rush.”

Allen said the board has received reports of “exceptionally low” turnout in various wards across the city.

“We hope it will be somewhere in the range of the 33 percent from eight and 12 years ago,” Allen said of the turnout. “It remains to be seen.”

Chicago voters will decide whether Mayor Rahm Emanuel collects a majority and quickly wins a second term or faces six more weeks of campaigning and a politically risky runoff election.

Such an extended campaign has never occurred in a Chicago mayoral race since the law was changed ahead of the 1995 election. The city switched from its old setup, where candidates ran as Democrats and Republicans in the primary and then squared off in a general election, to the current nonpartisan system, where a majority of the vote in late February seals the deal.

Chicago Mayoral candidate Jesus "Chuy" Garcia addresses his crowd of supporters after a close race, ending in a runoff. (WGN News)

Chicago Mayoral candidate Jesus "Chuy" Garcia addresses his crowd of supporters after a close race, ending in a runoff. (WGN News)

CAPTION

In Bob Fioretti's speech Tuesday evening, he thanked voters for their support and reminded everyone that he will not "stop fighting for a better Chicago." (WGN Chicago)

In Bob Fioretti's speech Tuesday evening, he thanked voters for their support and reminded everyone that he will not "stop fighting for a better Chicago." (WGN Chicago)

CAPTION

Chicago Mayor candidate Willie Wilson addresses his supporters Tuesday night, looking to thank those who helped the campaign, as well as those he met along the way.

Chicago Mayor candidate Willie Wilson addresses his supporters Tuesday night, looking to thank those who helped the campaign, as well as those he met along the way.

CAPTION

William "Dock" Walls met with the media and his supporters after the Chicago Mayoral election results started to filter in.

William "Dock" Walls met with the media and his supporters after the Chicago Mayoral election results started to filter in.

Voters also will decide City Council races in most of the 50 wards, where like the mayor, aldermen are hoping to avoid a runoff.

Emanuel and challengers Jesus "Chuy" Garcia and Bob Fioretti all lunched in the South Loop on Tuesday. The mayor ate at the Eleven City Diner on South Wabash, while Garcia and Fioretti went to the traditional political lunch spot Manny's.

Emanuel had lunch with the co-chairs of his campaign, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and City Clerk Susana Mendoza.

The mayor greeted a handful of voters, ate and then stopped outside for a brief news conference in which he urged Chicagoans to vote if they had not done so already.

Emanuel was asked what he thought of the suggestion his critics have made that voters deserve another six-week runoff campaign to force a more thorough discussion of the issues facing the city.

“We’ve had a lengthy debate, a good campaign. The voters will decide this election today, but that doesn’t change the basic premises, that this election isn’t just about the next four years, but the next generation. We’ve had a thorough and complete debate, and continue to," he responded.

Emanuel also was asked if he feels more uncertain this election about whether he’ll clear the 50 percent mark needed to avoid a runoff than he did four years ago. “You always have, on Election Day, butterflies. It’s a decision voters will make," he said.

Asked if this election had made him more humble, Emanuel quipped, “Listen, I’ve got three teenagers at home and a wife. Don’t worry about humble.”

The mayor's campaign sent out an email from Amy Rule, the mayor's wife who is seldom seen in public, reminding supporters there's still time to vote.

Polling places opened their doors to voters at 6 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. A handful of polling places will remain open until 8 p.m. because they opened late after judges didn't show up on time, according to election officials. The list includes: 2nd Ward, Precinct 25, at Wicker Park field house; 41st Ward, Precincts 15 and 37 at Olympia Park; and 48th Ward, Precinct 27, Sovereign Apartments.

Challenger Willie Wilson said Tuesday that one supporter tried to cast a ballot four times last week because the voting machine had not been calibrated correctly.

“We’re finding a lot of issues at some of the polling places and we’re asking Lisa Madigan, the attorney general and the state’s attorney and the FBI and anybody we can get to come in and investigate these things,” Wilson said.

The Chicago Board of Elections dismissed Wilson’s allegations.

“We received zero complaints at our election central about the calibration of the equipment. We have no reason to investigate this matter further,” Allen said in a statement. “This is an after-the-fact allegation that is a little mysterious.”

On Monday, candidates largely followed the traditional election-eve campaign strategy of enlisting eleventh-hour support. The candidates shook hands at busy transit stops and reached out to voters at senior centers, neighborhood gatherings and over restaurant lunch tables.

Emanuel began the day at the Loyola Red Line stop before scheduling three North Side meet-and-greets with seniors, a dedicated voting demographic. In an email encouraging supporters to turn out, Emanuel said Chicago had become "a very different city" after his election four years ago.

"You gave me a chance to make the tough decisions this city needed," Emanuel wrote, adding, "there's more work to be done, and I'll need your help to make sure we can continue the progress we've made."

Garcia, a Cook County commissioner and former alderman and state lawmaker, began Monday at the 95th Street CTA station, meeting with officials from the Amalgamated Transit Union, which endorsed his candidacy.

"We're headed to a runoff," said Garcia, who also is backed by the Chicago Teachers Union. "We have a strong organization, people are very enthused. We've picked up a lot of momentum over the past week, and our goal is to get into a runoff."

Fioretti, the current 2nd Ward alderman, started off election eve at the CTA stop at Midway Airport. He was set to greet commuters at another train station and to shake hands with patrons at the Billy Goat Tavern on West Madison Street near the United Center before the evening's Bulls game.

"The elevator to the fifth floor is an elevator for everyone in this room," Fioretti told supporters of his bid for City Hall.

In addition to making a pick for mayor, all 50 City Council seats are on the ballot, with most of the wards contested. It's the first election since ward boundaries were redrawn to represent changes in population from the 2010 U.S. census. Aldermanic candidates who fail to clear the 50-percent-plus-one vote threshold face an April 7 runoff with the second-place finisher.

A super political action committee that backs the mayor and pro-Emanuel aldermen reported spending another $86,000 on council members it supports. It also reported spending about $10,000 to oppose 45th Ward Ald. John Arena, who often votes against the mayor on key issues and is locked in a tight race against three opponents, including Chicago police Lt. John Garrido.

In an unexpected move, the Chicago Forward PAC reported spending $4,185 on behalf of 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston, who at times has been an outspoken critic of the mayor and is part of the progressive caucus that also counts Arena as a member. Hairston faces five challengers Tuesday.

All told, Chicago Forward has raised more than $2.6 million, spending about $450,000 on TV advertising for the mayor and about $800,000 to back 34 sitting aldermen and two candidates seeking open seats, according to state campaign finance reports. It also has spent nearly $26,000 to oppose Arena and 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack, another outspoken Emanuel critic.

The fund also reported spending $7,480 on behalf of 33rd Ward Ald. Deb Mell, who faces challenges from high school teacher Tim Meegan and nonprofit consultant Annisa Wanat. Chicago Forward already had spent nearly $51,000 to back Mell, who is an Emanuel appointee.

Th-bere also are several citywide nonbinding referendum questions on the ballot that include asking whether Chicago employers should be required to give paid sick leave to workers, whether Illinois elections should be publicly funded and whether city workers convicted of domestic violence should be required to get treatment.

In 37 of the 50 wards, voters will get to give their opinion on whether the Chicago Board of Education should be elected rather than appointed by the mayor, an issue of contention in Emanuel's re-election campaign.

Voters can check their registration status, see a sample ballot and find their polling location at chicagoelections.com. Voters also can call the city's "election central" at 312-269-7870 with any questions or complaints.

The Chicago Board of Elections also said it will have more than 300 investigators working Tuesday, including inspectors who will be making unannounced inspections of polling places. The board also said it has teams of standby election judges who can be sent to polling places where staffing issues arise.

City elections officials said more than 1.42 million Chicagoans are registered to vote in this election, up almost 4 percent from November's general statewide election and up a little more than 1 percent from the February mayoral election in 2011.